Kids meet ‘PAW Patrol’ characters and learn about the importance of service dogs

Some beloved 'PAW Patrol' characters rolled into West Edmonton Mall on Friday to raise money for service dog organization Dogs with Wings.

Kids got the chance to meet characters from the popular PAW Patrol TV show as well as service dogs in training at West Edmonton Mall Friday.

Dogs with Wings, which breeds, trains and places dogs with people with disabilities, was the beneficiary of a PAW Patrol meet and greet with characters Chase and Skye.

The kids got to meet their on-screen heroes and “real-life” heroes in the service dogs, who also got in some training, according to Greg Loveday, the CEO of Dogs with Wings.

“It’s part of their training to be amongst noise. You can hear a lot of noise, kids screaming, a lot of activity,” he said.

“They get used to the environment … it’s a fantastic event for them.”

Kids also got to interact with the dogs, learning the rules for doing so when a service dog is working.

“Whenever you see a dog in a vest, ask the trainer if you’re able to pet the dog, and then the trainer will prepare the dog for that, and always pet the dog behind the vest,” Loveday said.

In order to meet Chase and Skye, a $5 donation for Dogs with Wings was required to secure a spot. The event sold out quickly.

It takes around two years and $50,000 for the organization to train a service dog. Over the past two years, the client backlog has grown “longer than ever.”

The dogs are trained to assist the blind, people in wheelchairs, people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as well as children in places like the Stollery and Zebra Centre.

More information on volunteer opportunities and how to donate to Dogs with Wings is available online.